Florida International University (FlU) is an urban, multi campus, research university located in Miami, Florida's largest population center. The mission of this state university is to serve the people of southeast Florida, the state, the nation and the international community by imparting knowledge through excellent undergraduate and graduate teaching, by creating new knowledge through research, and by promoting public service. Five strategic themes guide the University's development: International, Environmental, Urban, Health, and Information. FIU focuses on these themes with a commitment to providing quality education, research, service and cultural diversity. [unreadable] [unreadable] With its current standing of 33,880 (students enrolled Fall 2002, 69% minority), "Health" as a designated mission area, and its stated goal to be one of the nation's top 25 public urban research universities, FIU provides a significant opportunity to develop more underrepresented minority scientists for biomedical research careers. [unreadable] [unreadable] This multifaceted program will, through faculty and student biomedical research oriented development activities at FlU: 1) build the biomedical research atmosphere in general; 2) encourage underrepresented minority students at FlU to view biomedical research as a viable career option; and 3) for those that chose that path, prepare them for success in their biomedical career endeavors. [unreadable] [unreadable] This will be achieved through four initiatives that will: (1) Provide a selected group of undergraduate and graduate students an intense research experience and other training to promote their success as future biomedical scientists; (2) Field to Pharmacy, an interdisciplinary training experience; (3) Biomedical Research Initiative, provide biomedical research exposure to a broad spectrum of students; and (4) a Chemistry Initiative, to develop new strategies and methods for teaching advanced chemistry techniques to biology students. [unreadable] [unreadable]